Americans turned off by government's unethical behavior

The number of citizens in the United States who are potential registered voters has increased dramatically both because of the population explosion and because of immigration. The amount of people who are registered to vote has likewise increased substantially, in some part due to the motor voter registration drive and other measures taken to make registration easier.

So why, then, has the percentage of voters to registrants been decreasing and decreasing in national elections? The truth is that most people seem to be turned off by the election process.

Let me bring you back to the last presidential election.

Do you recall that none of the candidates focused on the issues that were most

concerning to the American people? They avoided talking about the problem with Social Security and the problems with the increasing cost of Medicare. They meticulously avoided the subject of reforming welfare and were very skillful in avoiding a discussion on the reform of campaign financing. In their speeches, the three major candidates constantly made references to "what the people of the United States wanted." Gosh, when they spoke I could almost hear "The Star-Spangled Banner" playing in the

background. Or was that the Liberty Bell tolling?

And yet the politicians still ask, "Why are the people so disinterested in the election process? Why aren't they taking their voting privileges more seriously?" Let me tell you why. In recent years we have had a series of scandals and more seriously, illegal activity taking place at the executive and at the legislative levels. We have had more than 100 congressmen kiting checks in the House of Representative's Bank. One congressman, Representative Solarz of New York, was suspected of having done this more than 900 times. And this representative, because of his foreign affairs expertise, was actually on President Clinton's short list of nominees for secretary of state.

But it gets worse.

Many congressmen were even cashing in their franking privilege stamps for money at the House of Representatives' Post Office. Over the years we have also had congressmen and senators charged with molesting young boys and girls. And of course there is the Ethics Committee - which seems to be the busiest committee in the world - considering the cast of characters with which they have to deal. As of yesterday, the Ethics Committee condemned the unethical activities of the Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and fined him $300,000. Newt appears to have collected money from people who believed that their donations were going to charity. But instead Newt funneled it into his political organization. There are now serious questions being posed by the committee about Newt's ability to lead the House.

And the list goes on.

The general public is also turned off by those politicians who take their vacations at public expense by traveling all over the world, under the pretense that they are doing

the nation's business.

Thus far, the president has not been charged officially with any illegal activities; however, he has an entire menu of ethical issues that he must concern himself with in the next four years.

Again, let me refresh your memory.

Paula Jones is pursuing her sexual harassment case, and is backed strongly by conservative organizations in the country.

And have you forgotten Whitewater-gate, Filegate, Travelgate, and all of the

other "gates" that are too numerous to mention?

Finally, think back to when Newt Gingrich was recently re-elected as Speaker of the House. When he was re-elected, a cheer went up from his supporters. Imagine, cheering their leader when there was a lack of ethics and a criminality in what he has done in breaking the rules of the House, and more seriously, the tax code of the United States.

So the next time you see those politicians staring innocently out at you from your television screen, lamenting that you are wasting your constitutional rights, write a letter to him and tell them to give you a reason not to waste them.

Jill Dellamalva is a sophomore majoring in English. Her column, 'Focused Light,' appears every other Wednesday.